5 Things about “Call Me By Your Name”

It’s that time of the year. The Oscars Time. Nominations are out and there is a movie that catch my attention. It’s Call Me By Your Name that is directed by Luca Guadagnino and has four Oscar nominations: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures (Original Song).

It’s a movie of a rare beauty. All seems to be in their exact place. When you see the movie, you are totally in it, despite (and thanks) to the dilated rhythms. This is a short list of 5 things about Call Me By Your Name which grabs the film essence.

Elio’s world. When yuou see the trailer, you can think that is only a love story. But it is more, much more. It is a deep discovery of Elio’s inside world: the main character has the opportunity to know more about him because he knows nothing about things that really matter. Oliver is a sort of “device”, not futile, that facilitates the awarness path. Having said that, it’s also a beautiful love story and Timothée Chalamet is a great actor. His performance deserves the award.

No Surprises, No Obstacles. The movie is pure (elegant) narration. There’s no dramatic turn of events, there’s no eccentric drama. It felt like you were living it, like in the real life. And the story is not obstructed by anyone. The family, the environment, all seems to be favorable. Only two lovers and their steps to one another. A portrait of life purity.

The Nature. The building of the environment that surrounds the characters is one of keys of the beauty of this film and it is connected with what we wrote before. You can see the real nature (of Elio and Oliver), the weakness, the desire, the happiness of a moment that come out with wonderful landscapes of somewhere in the North of Italy. It’s all undefined but clear, so dreamy and so damn real.

The Father Speech. It’s not easy talk about it because it’s something huge and it is the real essence of the movie. Touching and monumental. This is it:

“You had a beautiful friendship. Maybe more than a friendship. And I envy you. In my place, most parents would hope the whole thing goes away, or pray that their sons land on their feet soon enough. But I am not such a parent. In your place, if there is pain, nurse it, and if there is a flame, don’t snuff it out, don’t be brutal with it. Withdrawal can be a terrible thing when it keeps us awake at night, and watching others forget us sooner than we’d want to be forgotten is no better. We rip out so much of ourselves to be cured of things faster than we should that we go bankrupt by the age of 30 and have less to offer each time we start with someone new. But to feel nothing so as not to feel anything—what a waste!.

Then let me say one more thing. It’ll clear the air. I may have come close, but I never had what you two have. Something always held me back or stood in the way. How you live your life is your business, just remember, our hearts and our bodies are given to us only once. And before you know it, your heart is worn out, and, as for your body, there comes a point when no one looks at it, much less wants to come near it. Right now, there’s sorrow, pain. Don’t kill it and with it the joy you’ve felt“.

Sufjan Stevens. It is the added value to the film. Three songs (“Futile Devices”, “Vision of Gideon” and “Mystery of Love”) that contributed to the whole movie climate. The Mistery of Love could be the perfect subtitle for this film. “Blessed be the mystery of love“.